tormented 1 of 2

adjective

as in tortured

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

tormented

2 of 2

verb

past tense of torment
as in plagued
to cause persistent suffering to he was tormented by nightmares about the accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tormented
Verb
About a month after that, the financier, tormented by fears of further investigation, died of apoplexy. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026 Leite is one week removed from giving Angel Reese and Howard fits in Atlanta, while Astier has tormented the Fever duo of Clark and Aliyah Boston. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Nosferatu In 2024 Depp appeared in Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu as Ellen Hutter, a young woman tormented and nearly possessed by the film’s titular vampire. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026 As Will is trying to improve his father’s business, he’s constantly tormented by Shane and his other employees. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 The lush grass blanketing this scenic Texas field belies the grisly horrors discovered underneath and the agonizing mystery that has tormented families for decades – until now. — Holly Yan, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026 To this day, Mischelle Lawless' family remains tormented by the mystery of her senseless murder. — Peter Henderson, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 Randy Arozarena already had tormented the Cubs twice in the game before stepping into the box in the ninth. — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026 Fresh from taking six wickets in the first innings, Australia's Mitchell Starc's again tormented Bangladesh's top order as the tourists were reduced to 39-3 at lunch in its second innings on Day 2 of a fast-moving second cricket test. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tormented
  1. tortured
  2. plagued
  3. frustrated
  4. persecuted
  5. harassed
  6. afflicted
  7. harried
  8. besieged
Adjective
  • But this leads to secrets revealed, lies told and tortured confrontations, not just with others but most intensely with himself.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Wuthering Heights In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte presents a world of conflicts, frictions between families, passions, and attachments—especially those of Catherine Earnshaw and the tortured Heathcliff—across an untamed landscape.
    — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Instead, they were plagued by injuries, dropped seven of their final nine games and lost the division tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers.
    — Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But the violence that plagued Muslims and mosques in the days and years after 9/11 stood in stark contrast to those sentiments.
    — BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of plagued
Adjective
  • No ball-knower would say the key to the Seahawks’ success was subtracting Metcalf, who grew frustrated with his role under one-and-done offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb in the season before Sam Darnold arrived.
    — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The White House introduced sweeping tariffs that have at times frustrated Americans, who will head to the polls in November's midterm elections.
    — Jay Stahl, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of frustrated
Verb
  • Many see Trump as the only president to defend Nigerian Christians; his administration claims they are being persecuted by Islamist groups.
    — Harriet Marsden, TheWeek, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Fernanda risked her life not only to protect works of art during the war, but also to help politically persecuted people escape the Fascist regime.
    — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of persecuted
Adjective
  • Others were placed under house arrest, harassed or subject to extensive surveillance, or had their passports confiscated, according to prior NPR reporting and the findings of the United Nations and rights groups.
    — Emily Feng, NPR, 17 May 2026
  • For years, Christian clergy who live and work in Jerusalem have reported being frequently spat on, harassed and even physically attacked by Israeli extremists.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Definition of harassed
Verb
  • The global food system is afflicted by uncertainty across many domains—weather, supply chains, labor, trade, and beyond.
    — Anna Nelson, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Over 600,000 women a year in America are afflicted with postpartum depression in America, research shows.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflicted
Adjective
  • Indeed, the footage of the harried production staff trying to keep the show going on from the office at Bray Studios where the shoot is happening sometimes plays like a vintage workplace comedy but with a dark undertow.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The Hawk fire forced the harried evacuation of more than 40,000 people.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of harried
Verb
  • In recent months, Israeli settlers have repeatedly besieged the village of Qusra, defying orders from the authorities to leave the area and trying to force Palestinian families, some of whom are also American citizens, out.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There has been a spate of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, and the village of Qusra has been besieged by Israeli settlers for weeks.
    — F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of besieged

Browse Nearby Words

torment
tormented
tormenting
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tormented.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tormented. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All